Christine's POV

I was just finishing up, when the door to Erik's home opened. Nadir was standing there wiping his hands with a towel. I had never seen him like this before… His jacket was missing and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows. It was strange seeing Nadir looking unprofessional.

"Christine," his soft voice called me. "We need to talk."

I placed the bloody towels into my bucket and stood up. It had been a long night and I was extremely exhausted.

"Everything is clean, monsieur. I made sure there was no more blood near the stairwell too…

"Good. Come inside, I need to speak with you."

I followed Nadir into Erik's home and into the small bedroom.

"I did the best that I could for him," Nadir said, his voice being nothing more than a low whisper. "I don't believe the bullets went through any major organs. He…He was lucky, I guess you could say. He's in a lot of pain though, which is why I'm going to go get something for him in the morning."

Erik lay in his bed, the blankets pulled up to his neck. He was sleeping soundly, his mask still intact.

"Y…You didn't get him a doctor, monsieur. How are you sure that he will be all right?"

"I've helped many a men in my days, Christine. I came from Persia, and many times when we went to war, we had no choice but to help the wounded the best we could. I've removed bullets before, and some of the victims were worse off than Erik."

"I did not know that."

"I didn't expect you to, Christine. What happened tonight was a tragedy, one that I tried to prevent. He's going to be off his feet for the next few weeks. Therefore, I have a new job for you."

"Monsieur, please, I…I know what you're going to say, but I can't. I can't look after this man. He can't stand the mere sight of me, and I've never taken care of a wounded man before."

"Christine, he's going to need someone to look after him. He won't be able to get out of bed or bathe himself. I'm depending on you to look after him. He will need constant care until he is able to get out of bed again."

"Monsieur, please…"

"Christine, you must… For me, as a favor. I run an opera house, Christine, and I barely have time for myself, let alone caring for this man. You can leave him alone at night to return to your room to sleep, but from morning until evening, he will need your care. Feed him, change his bandages, clean up the flat…Please say you will…"

Knowing that the man would most likely fire me if I didn't agree, I nodded.

"Thank you, Christine… I already wrapped his wounds in bandages. He's asleep and won't be awake until morning. Go to your room and get your rest, you're going to need it."

Nadir's POV

I was relieved when Christine agreed to care for Erik. I couldn't do the job, for not only did I run an opera house, but it would look suspicious. The police spent the entire night searching for the Phantom's body, but by morning, they came up empty handed. I expected them to, for Christine had cleaned up the blood trail that went from the stairwell to Erik's home. He was lucky, for the bullet I took out of his chest narrowly missed his heart. Not only that, but the bullet that I removed from his left side nearly nicked his lung. That's all I would need… Erik was indeed the Phantom of the Opera, and he would be no more. This charade couldn't continue, for if Carlotta believed him to be dead, then he needed to stay that way.

"This is ridiculous!" Carlotta cried as I entered the auditorium. "The police have been searching all night, and do you think they would have found his body? No! He was shot! Twice! He was shot twice and there is proof… The rafters were covered in blood…"

"There are many possibilities, Madame," I said. "He probably drowned in the underground lake. Maybe that's why the authorities haven't recovered a body…Or maybe, there wasn't a Phantom after all… Maybe it was all in your mind."

"Mind? Mind?" Carlotta tore off her hat to reveal her butchered hair. "Look at my head! My hair didn't just become glued to that wig! There is a Phantom and until his body is recovered, I will not consider him dead."

"Well, if nothing happens to you anymore, consider him dead, Madame. All I know is that I don't want your so called guards shooting anything on my stage anymore. They could have killed someone last night! What if it would have been the stagehands? Or…or the conductor? No, your guards will not be permitted on this premises with their guns, Madame."

"As long as nothing else happens to me, monsieur, we won't have a problem."

"We shouldn't, Madame…"

Christine's POV

The following morning, I made my way to Erik's home extra early. I wasn't sure what time he was going to wake, but I wanted to be sure I was there beforehand. When I walked in, I was happy to find that he was still asleep. He seemed so uncomfortable, but I didn't know what to do to make him feel better. I was just placing down a bag of things in the small dining room, when I heard a low groan coming from the bedroom.

"N…Nadir…"

He was calling out Nadir's name and I quickly approached the bedroom door. His eyes were open, and now that I was actually looking at his eyes for the first time, I noticed that they were two different shades of blue. One eye was clouded and the other was a clear blue color…Sort of like the sky. When he saw me standing in his doorway, he gave a disgusted look.

"T…The Persian," he groaned. "W…Where is he?"

"He's…He's busy, monsieur," I mewed. "He left me here to care for you."

"Care for me?" he growled, forcing his body into an upright position. Though, as soon as the covers fell from his bare chest, he immediately pulled them up.

"My clothes," he spat. "Where…Where are my clothes?"

I was frightened by his cruel tone of voice, for even if he was weak, he still scared me.

"M…M…"

"Out with it, girl!"

"Monsieur Khan must have taken them away. You were bloody and he wanted to help you."

"My closet…"

"Closet?"

"My closet! I want a shirt…"

Fearing the tone of his voice, I hurried to the wardrobe that was on the other side of the room and pulled open the door.

"There should be a black night shirt…."

There were many black shirts, so many that I didn't know which one he wanted.

"Quickly!" he snapped.

When I found a silk shirt, I pulled it out and handed it to him.

"Good, turn your back so I can dress…"

"Do…Do you want help?"

"No…"

I turned my back and stood there as I heard him moaning in agony. When he finally had his shirt on, the work of getting it on had exhausted him. He plopped back against his pillows and closed his eyes.

"Monsieur, are…are you all right?" I was frightened to hear his voice again, but I had promised Nadir to watch over him.

Erik was breathing heavily and was now sweating.

"Monsieur…"

"Must you stand over my bed?" he snapped. "You're not a wet nurse, you're a bloody maid for crying out loud!"

"Nadir told me to take care of you."

"I don't need to be taken care of! I can take care of myself. Like you, I don't go walking out in snowstorms!"

I gasped and backed away from his bed. Erik, on the other hand pressed his eyes closed and rubbed his head.

"Oh, this pain is utterly unbearable."

Suddenly, Nadir came walking through the door with a small bag in hand. When he saw my terrified face, he looked at Erik and shook his head.

"What are you doing to this poor girl? She's only trying to help you…"

"Then help me by firing her! I don't want her in here…Why do you keep pushing her on me? I don't need some whore snooping around my home or caring for my wounds!"

Tears began to fall from my eyes as I hurried out of the bedroom and into the dining room. This man was cruel, and I didn't want to spend another moment in his presence.

Erik's POV

When the girl went rushing out of my bedroom, I finally thought I would be at peace. Though, Nadir closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You don't have a woman because of your hideous face, Erik," he scoffed. "You don't have a woman because of your cruel temper. That girl was only trying to help…"

"She's a whore, Nadir! What workhouse did you find her at…"

"That whore saved your life, Erik… She found you on the floor in the hallway last night and dragged you to your bed. If not for her, you would have either bled to death or been found by the police. This has to stop…"

No one besides Nadir had ever stuck their neck out for me before. I hated the world, but after hearing what he had just said, I did feel a little terrible about what I had said about the girl. Why? Why did she pull me to safety?

"Ah, I sense you are feeling bad about what you said a few moments ago…" Nadir scoffed. "It's so like you to regret what you say once the damage is already done."

"Enough!" I growled. "Don't mouth me like that. Remember who you're dealing with."

"I picked up your medicine at the store, Erik. You were lucky… those bullets could have been fatal."

"Lucky me…"

"You're going to be in that bed for a few weeks. Christine is going to come every morning and take care of you until the evening. You will treat her with respect, and you will thank her for it. And after you are well again, this nonsense of tricking Carlotta will be over and done with. Are we clear?"

"You're not my father…"

"No, I am your savior. Now, enough…"

And with that, Nadir left me alone with the girl.

Christine's POV

"I've cleared things up, Christine," Nadir said before leaving. "He should be calm now."

I wiped my eyes. "Thank you, Nadir."

"No, Christine, thank you. The medicine I gave you… Give it to Erik once after breakfast and once after dinner. It will help him sleep, so he should be out of your hair most of the time."

When Nadir was gone, I took a deep breath and composed myself before re entering Erik's room.

"Monsieur," I softly called his name as I entered once more. He was silent as he stared at me, for he didn't make a single sound or rude comment. "Um…Nadir gave me these pills to give you, but you have to eat first. They will help you with your pain. Do…Do you have anything in particular that you wish to eat for breakfast?

"Tea," he crooned. "I…I drink tea."

"Well, tea is a drink. How about something solid?"

"T…Toast… Wheat toast."

All the yelling the man had done earlier must have exhausted him, for he seemed to be in a lot of pain now.

"How do you like your tea?"

"Two lumps of sugar, no cream…"

There was a moment of silence, and then, I made my point to leave.

"Wa…Wait…"

"Yes?"

I spun around to face him once more.

"I…I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I…I…I shouldn't have called you something so vulgar."

I nodded. "I shall be back as soon as possible with your breakfast."

And with that, I made my way to the door.

Oh, Erik... Well he seems to be coming around. Merry Christmas!